27-inch iMac gets a major update • Hacker News Board

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#571

Post by _ph_ » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 6:43 AM UTC

munificent wrote: post #526

_ph_ wrote: post #341

The one thing I keep missing on my 5k iMac is some form of video-in. Would be great if I could connect my MB Pro to it and use the iMac as a display. Perhaps even in a window and all mouse and keyboard events to the window get passed to the connected MacBook.

This one kills me. With COVID, I'm now stuck working from home. I literally spend all day staring at my work Macbook Pro's small screen with a glorious but unused iMac screen sitting five inches behind it.

Same here - using my MacBook Pro when working from home. I was very fortunate though to get me a Dell 2415Q in January. While not being quite as good as the iMac, it is a good "retina" screen. Can only recommend it.

Previously, I would sometimes use screen sharing to use the desktop of my MacBook onto my iMac, but due to its slow speed, that is only an emergency measure.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#572

Post by m463 » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 6:45 AM UTC

alcidesfonseca wrote: post #513

m463 wrote: post #492

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, there are a few key features about macs that have made them much better computers. Target disk mode. Target display mode. Boot from an external drive using option. Boot from the network. And you know the "decision makers" don't understand how much nicer it makes the computers to administer. (understand in the sense they would defend them for real in a feature-cutting meeting) Instead we get dongles. sigh.

Can't you boot from an external drive (time machine backup) using option, on Catalina? I was under the impression booting from external USB was how you would format the mac.

I don't know about time machine. I suspect you might.

To be clear, I wasn't saying they were taking out the option boot-picker.

I was saying these lesser known features - although they will never be used by a general audience - make the mac significantly easier to administer for people who have been using macs for years and know what they're doing.

I will say I'm glad you can upgrade an older system to a new usb-c style thunderbolt machine using target disk mode - but the dongles/cables to achieve this feat are ridiculous.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#573

Post by zuhsetaqi » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 6:49 AM UTC

askafriend wrote: post #380

_ph_ wrote: post #341

The one thing I keep missing on my 5k iMac is some form of video-in. Would be great if I could connect my MB Pro to it and use the iMac as a display. Perhaps even in a window and all mouse and keyboard events to the window get passed to the connected MacBook.

This is the reason I went Mac Mini + LG 5k display. It's much more expensive but I needed to be able to hook in my work laptop to a 5k display while working and switch easily to my home setup with a single cable when I want to. Ended up being perfect! It's paying off big time with COVID and WFH.

It might not be more expensive in the long run because now if your Mac Mini needs an upgrade you can only switch the Mac Mini and keep the display which is cheaper than a new iMac.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#574

Post by thewhitetulip » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:01 AM UTC

chrisweekly wrote: post #541

thewhitetulip wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mine is a Macbook pro 2012 and it is still phenomenal. 2yrs ago, my screen used to flicker. I contacted everyone and they said 'change motherboard' and Mac support people were like buy a new laptop. so I kept the laptop in cupboard for a few months and I open it to check if it works, had decided to sell it and buy a new one and viola, it was working perfectly fine. ~5yrs with no issues.

2012 mbp15r, maxxed out specs at the time (16GB DDR3, 500MB SSD), daily driver for eight(!) years, and has maybe 5 tiny dead pixels as the only sign it's the worse for wear. Current gig requires use of client-provided 2019 mbp16r with approximately the same size, weight and perf. I don't hate it, but it's hard to believe my ancient personal box is about as capable. They really don't make em like they used to.

>I don't hate it, but it's hard to believe my ancient personal box is about as capable

Exactly my point. The funny thing is, I bought the 2012 model at half the price of the new models and I have 0 complaints about it. No fancy keyboard issue, no fancy thermal issue. Nothing.

and to think that since then, they've made more problems than laptops!

They really don't make them like they used to. I just want a better battery backup that's it. I get 6-8hrs because I did a lot of research about how Li batteries drain (it is best if you do not let it drain below 50% because Li batteries' lifecycle depends on the high-low charge discharge cycles so if you keep discharging battery to 0% then you're scrwed in a few years)

I'll buy the 2012 model again, if this one dies out, but won't ever buy the latest models.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#575

Post by dav43 » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:02 AM UTC

ogre_codes wrote: post #11

Finally they ditch spinning media on the base models. Also notable, the rumored iPad-like style changes are conspicuously absent, these look pretty much identical to the older iMacs. Otherwise this looks like a decent bump all around. Notably, the iMac Pro also got some love (though not too much it seems?)

Yet they are still pushing 8gb of RAM as stock unit - which was OK in maybe 2016.

It’s offensive

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#576

Post by rewgs » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:03 AM UTC

cactus2093 wrote: post #435

_ph_ wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a Mini before the iMac, but the Mini had the problem of the lacking GPU. Also, at the time I got the iMac (2015), the Mini was really falling behind. The iMac gave me a quad-core i7 and a GPU. I wished the Mini was available with hardware comparable to the 16" MB Pro. (8 cores, GPU) If Apple only offered a desktop class Mac, I would even start thinking about the pro display.

In some ways the outlook for the Mac is much better today than it was a couple of years ago. But I agree it does suck that you can't get a decent desktop that's not an all-in-one iMac. Users have been asking for it for years, and Apple's response was "Fine, you want upgradeability? Here's the entire kitchen sink with terrible base specs for $6000. Oh that's too expensive for you? Guess you're not a real pro after all…

It's maddening. If they put an i9 and non-ECC RAM in an upgradable desktop, I wouldn't have built my PC. And as the other commenter said, I'd maybe even consider the new display.

Too bad for them. They're missing a huge chunk of the market.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#577

Post by P4wl0w » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:24 AM UTC

It does not make any sense for me to buy new macs anymore - especially when I have to run the new macos, which will take SECONDS to open apps that open in MILLISECONDS when you switch off wifi or just use a good OS.

Also I do not like their beta product experiments they tend to run on customers since years - I will wait for years before I trust their hard- and software to be useful for work or even personal things.

If they want me to beta test they should give me money for it.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#578

Post by flywheel » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:37 AM UTC

spideymans wrote: post #282

flywheel wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment seems a bit disingenuous - how much time passed between when you got the i7 and when you got the i5? Today's i5's can be faster than long-ago's i7's but todays i7's are still far faster than today's i5's.

Their comment isn't disingenuous - that's just how a regular, normal, non hardware nerd would most likely interpret Intel's branding. Bigger number = faster, as far as consumers are concerned. If you understand the i3/i5/i7/i9 tiers, you're in a small minority.

I guess this isn't really "hacker news" then, because I would expect just about any "hacker" would know the difference.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#579

Post by tonyedgecombe » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:42 AM UTC

osrec wrote: post #248

smnrchrds wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They learned their lesson and made storage, RAM, etc. non-user replaceable in newer versions. You used to be able to buy a Mac from Apple and upgrade its RAM at a reasonable price on your own. Not anymore.

Why do their customers tolerate this?! I know some people love Apple (their hardware does look great), but this is extremely annoying.

I can't remember the last time I upgraded the memory/disk in one of my computers. It really is a non-issue for the majority. There are other issues that are much more important to me.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#580

Post by tonyedgecombe » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 7:54 AM UTC

ed25519FUUU wrote: post #112

jasoneckert wrote: post #99

I definitely agree with the general consensus here that this is a solid spec bump, and most welcome at that! And like others, it made me think of their transition to ARM. I know the first ARM Macs this fall will be their lowend MacBook and 13" MBP line, but at WWDC they said the Intel to ARM transition would be complete in under 2 years (like they said with the PPC to Intel transition). And since the PPC to Intel tra…

Just my speculation, but rather than “lowering the specs“, I think they’re positioning themselves to release a “budget” option in the $800 range with a 4k screen, which will probably match performance with the low end intel iMac. Matching encoding speeds with Apple Silicon is probably an easier task, since they can create on-chip, hardware accelerated encoders, which exist on iPhones already.

The current bottom end is $1099 and that's the last model with a low-dpi screen. I'd be surprised to see the price drop much below that when it gets renewed.